Little Italy - University Circle Rapid Station

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CLEVELAND -- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates a Red Line rail station on Euclid Avenue at East 120th Street. That functionally obsolete station will be moved several blocks south, to Mayfield Road at East 119th Street.

Because the new station will be close to the vibrant neighborhood of Little Italy, it will be called the Little Italy - University Circle Rapid Station. Informally, it is sometimes referred to as the Mayfield Road Station, or the Little Italy Station.

The move comes as the result of a 2008 study to develop a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan for the station. Download a copy of the master plan here.

Construction

On Sept. 17, 2013, the RTA Board passed resolution 2013-89, and awarded a contract for $11.11 million to McTech Corp. Federal funds from an $8.9 million TIGER III grant will cover 80 percent of the costs. The design includes:

A single platform headhouse and entrance plaza complying with current ADA requirements.

A heavy-duty elevator and stairway from the street level up to the platform and waiting areas.

About 22 percent of the work, or $2.5 million, will be shared by seven Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).

A look to the future

In May 2011, The Plain Dealer's Steve Litt wrote:

The project aims to mesh with a burst of development along Euclid Avenue, including the residential-retail Uptown project; the proposed, new home of the Museum of Contemporary Art; and the consolidation of the Cleveland Institute of Art into the Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts. When completed, the station should be a strong example of what planners call transit-oriented development, in which rail stations complement residential, retail and institutional growth in neighborhoods.

To help fund the design effort, RTA worked with the Cleveland Foundation, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), Little Italy, University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.

Retail use of approximately 24,000 square feet for convenience-oriented uses, such as a small grocer, dry cleaner and restaurants.

Apartments in Building One (four floors, 48 units) designated for temporary corporate (institutional) housing. CWRU, University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic or other institutions and businesses could lease an entire floor or two.

Apartments in Building Two (five floors, 72 units) would be designated for market-rate apartments, with the future opportunity for these to convert to condo.

The institutions would be able to offer their visiting professionals a place to stay on a short-term basis at the designated corporate housing area. A separate key card to create exclusivity would access these floors.

The medical resident group and their families would look to this project as a place to rent for their 3 +/- year stint in Cleveland, rather than searching for housing in other areas.

The first floor would feature convenience-oriented retail for the residents, as well as the 30,000+ employees of University Circle parking nearby or walking by.

The building should offer services to distinguish it from other buildings and service the residents, such as a concierge for dry cleaning, car wash, theater tickets and dinner reservations. Incentives would be limited to new markets tax credits and tax abatement.

Media Gallery

Time-lapse video shows railroad bridge demolition in Little Italy

From March 24-27, RTA crews demolished an abandoned railroad bridge over Mayfield Road in Little Italy, to make room for a new Red Line Rapid Transit Station.

Background

In 2008, a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan for the Red Line rail station at Euclid Avenue and East 120th Street called for the station location to be moved several blocks to East 119th Street and Mayfield Road, where it will be closer to Little Italy.

In July 2008, the RTA Board of Trustees passed resolution 2008-48, which authorized a contract with City Architecture to perform architectural and engineering services for this project, for $1.1 million. On July 16, 2013, the Board passed resolution 2013-63, which increased the design scope to "remedy the unsatisfactory condition of existing walks, bridge abutments, railing, drainage and lighting," for an additional $102,919,

In December 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation, via the Federation Transit Administration (FTA), awarded RTA a $12.5 million grant. It was part of the TIGER III program for national infrastructure investments. The term stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery.

It will be called the Little Italy-University Circle Rapid Station. The $17.5 million project cost includes the design and construction of the station and rehabilitating two transit track bridges. Federal funds will pay for 80 percent of the work.

Since that time, the design of the station has progressed with input from stakeholders and the community. A series of public meetings have been held throughout project development. The last meeting was on Feb. 21, 2013. RTA officials discussed the findings of the Environmental Assessment. The meeting presentation and a copy of the Environmental Assessment (EA) can be found below.

On April 4, 2013, the FTA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project after reviewing the EA. Public comments received via e-mail and at the Feb. 21 community meeting are included in the FONSI, which can be downloaded here.

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